The latest on California politics and government

October 7, 2012

Accusing Gov. Jerry Brown of running "utterly deceptive" ads in his campaign to raise taxes, Molly Munger said on a Los Angeles TV show this morning that her own tax campaign will air television ads making a "distinction" between her measure and Brown's.

Munger, the chief proponent of Proposition 38, said on NBC 4's "News Conference" that a series of ads released by Brown last week unfairly cast his initiative, Proposition 30, as the most helpful for schools.

"It is utterly deceptive," she said. "And so you really can't be in a situation where 30, which is really a budget patch, is going around saying that it's the schools initiative, when we - who are really the schools initiative - you know, are being asked not to say anything."

Munger said, "If you're going to say that you're something you're not, we do have to say, 'Well, actually, that's not the case.'"

Munger, a civil rights attorney, has spent more than $30 million on her measure. Her brother, Republican physicist Chalres Munger Jr., has donated $23 million to a committee that aims to beat Brown's measure and pass an anti-union campaign finance measure.

Dan Newman, a spokesman for Brown's campaign, said in an email that Munger should give "serious thought to her impact and legacy" before running contrast ads.

"If the false attacks on 30 succeed," Newman said, "the Mungers will be known forever as the billionaire family who eviscerated California's public education system."

Molly Munger said her campaign is "not going to be out advertising 'No' on 30," but will draw a distinction between the two initiatives.

"I think that is part of the communication, is to make the distinction between 30 and 38," Munger said. "Don't be confused, you know, 38's the one you want. So yes, we're going to be trying to communicate that, absolutely."

Munger's campaign already has taken one swipe at Brown, suggesting in its first statewide TV ad, released last month, that his initiative is the product of "Sacramento politicians."

Brown proposes to raise the state sales tax and income taxes on California's highest earners, in part to prevent about $5.4 billion in cuts to schools and community colleges. Munger proposes to raise taxes on all but California's lowest earners to fund education. Her initiative lags behind Brown's in public opinion polls.